Browns' Myles Garrett plays every snap after coach challenges him

Monday

Second-year DE accepts challenge from Hue Jackson to increase workload and doesn't miss a down in opener

BEREA Defensive end Myles Garrett set a goal in the offseason to work himself into the best shape of his life so he could play more snaps in his second year with the Browns.

So far, so good.

Garrett played all 84 defensive snaps in Sunday’s season-opening, 21-21 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Linebacker Joe Schobert and rookie cornerback Denzel Ward were the only other Browns defenders who played every snap.

“I challenged [Garrett],” coach Hue Jackson said Monday. “I showed him a stat of all the top defensive ends, how much they’ve been playing. Last year, he played 71 percent, and if I’m not mistaking the top guy this past year is in the 98th percentile. So I think he was chasing that.

“That says a lot because there were a couple times I knew he wanted to come out and he looked and was on his way and said, ‘Nah, I’m staying,’ and he kept playing. So we now know and I think he now knows he can play as long as he needs to. We’ll not try to have him have that big of a workload, so hopefully in the fourth quarter he can go make a play to win the game for us, but it was good to see.”

Garrett had six tackles, including two sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed.

“It was nice to finally meet [Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger] and properly introduce myself before the game and during the game,” Garrett said afterward.

But the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft also drew a crucial penalty for an illegal block in the back on Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey toward the end of Schobert’s 28-yard return on a fumble recovery with 36 seconds left in overtime.

“That was a bad play by me,” Garrett said. “I should’ve been more aware.”

The penalty cost the Browns 12 yards and led to Zane Gonzalez attempting a 43-yard field goal instead of a 30-yarder. Gonzalez’s low kick was blocked by Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt with nine seconds left in overtime, and the game ended in a tie.

Jackson called Garrett’s penalty “inexcusable.”

“I know from the effort standpoint, he thinks he’s trying to do the right thing, but you just can’t take that chance,” Jackson said. “Here’s a very critical time. Those extra yards could have made a difference.”

Other snap counts of note from the opener …

• Wide receiver Josh Gordon was supposedly going to be on a pitch count coming off a hamstring injury, but he played 69 of the offense’s 89 snaps (78 percent).